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AUDITION FOR 11 CHOREOGRAPHERS - JUNE 10th

Simantikos Dance Chicago is excited to be auditioning dancers for their first annual “Choreo Kick-Off” show August 4th, 2018. This show aims to allow Simantikos to observe both the working progress of choreographers in the community in order to commission them for Season 4. This is also an opportunity for us to further observe and admire dancers in our community that may (or may not) be auditioning for company positions for Season 4. All auditions are FREE. Dancers are not required to sell any tickets but will keep a portion ($5-$12/ticket depending on chosen ticket price) of any ticket they sell.

Dancers are encouraged to audition for as many pieces as possible but are welcome to audition for as few as 1. All auditions will take place on Sunday, June 10th (find specific times below) at Simantikos Dance Studio (1835 S. Halsted St.). Dancers auditioning for more than one piece are welcome to hang around our space (we’ll have light refreshments available) or explore Pilsen during breaks in the day. Unless noted below, all rehearsals will take place at our studio throughout the summer. Note that our choreographers may be lenient with necessary absences due to other dance conflicts/summer commitments and this should not discourage you from auditioning for their pieces. All dancers will be notified of their acceptances by midnight on June 10th.

Please RSVP to simantikosdance@gmail.com with the names of the choreographers for whom you’d like to audition along with your headshot and resume (you need not print and bring as we will disburse them to your choreographers for you).

KAREN YATSKO - AUDITION - 10:00 to 10:30pm on June 10th

Dancers should expect to rehearse from 9-11pm on Thursdays.

MARY WILLMENG - AUDITION - 10:30 - 11:00am on June 10th

Mary Willmeng is a choreographer based in Colorado. She is looking for 2 to 4 dancers. Expect to be a part of a collaborative process and participate in some movement creation. She will be coming to Chicago from out of state so it will be an intensive rehearsal process. Rehearsals will be:

Wednesday June 20 6-9 pm

Saturday June 23 (time ?)

Wednesday June 27 6-9 pm

Wednesday Aug. 1st 6-9 pm

Tech and show Saturday August 4

KELI GUNN - AUDITION - 12:00 - 12:30pm on June 10th

Keli Gunn is a freelancer choreographer and performer in Chicago. Her choreographic process includes collaboration with the dancers and task-oriented movement generation. Her rehearsals will be on Saturdays from 12-3pm.

KIEFER OTTO - AUDITION - 12:30 to 1:00pm

Kiefer is flexible in his rehearsal times and will audition dancers who have any availability either on Fridays from 6-9pm or Sundays before noon.

KRISTA ZOZULIA - AUDITION - 1:00 - 1:30pm on June 10th

Krista Zozulia is a Chicago-based dancer and choreographer. More information about Krista can be found on her website: https://www.kristazozulia.com/.

Dancers interested in auditioning for Krista Zozulia's piece "The Space Between" should expect to rehearse on Mondays and Thursdays from 12:30-2 starting June 18th through August 2nd. This will also exclude rehearsals for a two-week period from July 8th-20th.

Dancers interested in auditioning for her piece "Working Title/TBD" should expect to rehearse on:

Saturday, June 16th 5-7pm

Sunday, June 17th 10-1pm *Alia attends as rehearsal director*

Saturday June 23rd 5-7pm

Sunday, June 24th 10-1pm

Saturday, June 30th - Production Call Time 11-9pm (x3 shows)

*Project pays $150 stipend

Thurs Aug 2nd - 12-4pm - Rehearsal

Fri Aug 3rd - 10-12pm - Rehearsal + Tech/Dress TBA

Sat Aug 4th - Show - Times TBA

JUAN ENRIQUE IRIZARRY - AUDITION - 2:00 - 2:30pm on June 10th

Juan Enrique R. Irizarry Jr. is a Chicago based dancer and choreographer. He has obtained a BA in Anthropology/Sociology with a Dance Studies minor from Knox College. As a versatile dancer/choreographer he has trained, taught, and choreographed in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Street Jazz, Contemporary, Heels, and Hip-Hop. He has set works with Innervation Dance Cooperative, Knox College, Pandora's Box Dance Crew, and Gallery 37/Joffrey Ballet (After School Matters). Juan Enrique uses anthropological and sociological influences through his teachings and his work. His choreographic work represents the struggles and understandings of identity. It examines elements of self-identity, masculinity, femininity, gender, sexuality, stereotypes/social norms, and societal taboos.

Expectations: :Looking for trained contemporary modern dancer(s). Dancers should expect to rehearse from 5:00 - 7:00pm on Sundays.

NIKKI RENFROE - AUDITION - 2:30 to 3:00pm on June 10th

Nikki Renfroe, a native of the Chicago area, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has had the privilege of training through workshops and intensives with Point Park University, Deeply Rooted Dance Company, L.A. Contemporary Dance Company, Inaside Dance Chicago, Aerial Dance Chicago, and continues to study at Lou Cante Dance Studio, Visceral Dance Center, and Joel Hall Dance Center. She has had the opportunity to perform in many local Chicago projects such as Delve Arts Festival, Renassiance Black, Activate! Chicago, and See Chicago Dance. Nikki currently dances with Noumenon Dance Ensemble and Simantikos Dance Chicago.

Dancers interested in auditioning for her piece should expect to rehearse on Thursdays from 7-9pm.

JULIE FERRELL - AUDITION - 3:00 - 3:30pm on June 10th

Julie Ferrell is originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma where she trained under Debi Myers. She graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance, and was a member of the University Dance Company for all four years. Julie has performed works under several acclaimed choreographers including William Gill, Melissa Thodos, Autumn Eckman, Talia Beck, Pat Graney, and James Moreno. Additionally, she supplemented her studies under The Cambrians, Elements Contemporary Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and at Velocity Dance Center in Seattle. In Chicago, Julie is an affiliated company member with Noumenon Dance Ensemble and works as a freelance performer, while teaching at Joel Hall Dancers and Center and other Chicago-area studios.

Dancers interested in auditioning for “BUILT” should plan to rehearse from 7-10pm on Mondays, starting June 11th. “BUILT” will explore gender as a social construct, and how these definitions affect everyday life. Ferrell’s work requires strong, technical dancers with experience in contemporary and ballet that are also open to being a part of the creative process.

STEPHANIE RANKIN - AUDITION - 3:30 - 4:00pm on June 10th

Stephanie is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and arts administrator, who recently relocated from Philadelphia to Chicago. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance/Choreography and Communications from Hope College, Holland, MI where she was privileged to train and work with choreographers such as Steven Iannacone, Matthew Farmer, Maxine DeBruyn, Angie Yetzke, Anne Rene Petrarca, Sharon Wong, Linda Graham, Alicia Diaz, Matthew Thornton, and Richard Rivera. In 2016, she received her Masters of Science in Arts Administration from Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA. She participated in Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company’s MASA program, where she spent 5 months in Israel training with the company, choreographing, and conducting research for her original thesis focusing on dance audience engagement within the choreographic creative process. She has been an artist in residence for Kofa High School in Yuma, Arizona for two consecutive years, where she led daily workshops and set original works on the students. Recently, she was on faculty for the fall 2017 semester at Hope College where she restaged Steven Iannacone’s ‘sur la table’, taught modern courses, lectured in jazz dance history and movement fundamentals, and was a student dance concert advisor.

Her own choreography draws on art, history, and literature to create relatable audience experiences. She incorporates pedestrian movement, somatic modern principles, and her collaborator’s experiences and styles with the attempt to convey honest and authentic works. Her work has been presented in Chicago, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, Michigan, Arizona, and at the International Dance Village in Israel.

Rehearsals will be on Tuesdays from 7pm to 9:30pm. The process will be collaborative involving discussion, improvisation, and playing. I am interested in utilizing our different experiences to create communities and tell stories through dance.